Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-09-01
Public schools.

/ The st. Louis Republican Ii making
= cOmmendab!e effort to have the pub
lie school system of that city run ON
the plan of what q common free school
should be. We can not cay that IL will
succeed. hut we know that II IL right.
The school board nf that city has de-
cided to butlt $500 600 high school
building for the accommodation of pu-
pills who desire an advanced course in
perhaps dafscinE. In the meantime
the common fscl,Oois are overcrowsied
and thousands of children can not find
room.
In view of such facts it is not to be
wondered at that the Republican arises
in its wrath and lashes the school board
numerically. 1t is wrong in principle
to use school money for the higher
branches and neglect the lower ones.
and indeed 1t is extremely doubtful IL
public money should be expended at
all for some of the higher branches now
taught in many of the public schools.
1t Is not intended that the public
schools shall give pupils any thing more
than fair common school educa ton,
but quite the reverse is practiced now
In many of the large cities. Large
sums of money 20 to maintain the
superfiuous studies. and, as a conse-
quence, the lower branches suffer. No
special effort is made tn teach reading,
penmanship, arithmetic. geography,
United States history, etc, but when it
comes to the higher branches, which
properly belong outside Of the public
schools, the exact reverse IL practiced.
IT is high time Lawmakers were at
work inquiring how much demagog-
uery and quackery has crept into the
public school system. Enough taxes
are collected to give every child In the
state common education, and this Ia
just as much as should be required of
the public. There should be q stopping
place somewhere, and common sense
suggests that the presents affords "a
good opportunity for exposing the
shams and barnacles now attached to
the public schoal system Of Missouri.
Every session Of the legislature adj
channels are opened for in
creasing the school fund, and, in place
of being satisfied, there is constantly
kept up howl for more. If the pub
lie school fund could be doubled to-day,
some quack would say that
it ought to be still greater. The truth
of the matter Ia that the school fund Of
Missouri is sufficient for all ordinary
Texas is the only state in
the union which has larger school
fund than Missouri.
We look upon the free school system
as one of the grandest institutions Of
this COUNTRY. It Is something to be
proud of, but, at the same time, there
is no reason why serious faults should
not be criticised. BY watching the exc
penditurc Of shool money more closely,
less frauds barring tie false brand,
"Public Schools" will be forced on the
people. The person who calls atten-
ton to the abuses permitted to exist
under the present system. in place OF
being an enemy of public shoots. 10 the
very opposite. By correcting evils the
schools will become stronger In place
of losing ground.
Superintendent Coleman, In his last
report. called attention to many OF the
evils complained OF by the Republican
and briefly referred to in this articlt.
Mr.. Coleman looks far enough into the
fnture to see that If existing evils are
not corrected, the public school system
will eventually suffer, and we have
not the slightest doubt but what he is
correct.
Ifan opportunity is afforded every
.hjId to obtain common education.
HE aim Of the public school has been
To go outside ut this
,ud wrongly take vast sums OF money
md expend it on the higher branches
md arts, should not he permitted un-
Ter any circumstances. The colleges
md seminaries aft ,rd ample Opportun-
ties for obtaining classic educatiOns,
mi their rights should not be infring-
d upon at public expense.-Jefers0R
1tu Tribune.